Rotorua Lakes Council has canned a $62 million proposal that would have seen houses and sports fields developed on Springfield Golf Course, despite having already spent about $190,000.
The news comes as a welcome relief to members of the club who were first alerted to the proposal back in 2017. In 2020, an initial concept released by the council prompting the community to a “Saving Springfield” group which gathered 5017 signatures in objection to the proposal.
The proposal incorporated Westbrook Reserve, Ray Boord Park, Smallbone Park, Rotorua International Stadium, Westbrook netball courts and the Springfield Golf Course into a sports hub, with the potential for housing to also be built on the golf course land.
The 18-hole course – home to LIV golfer Danny Lee’s Springfield Open, which will see the 18th edition play out in January 2024 – has called it a “huge victory for the Springfield community.”
Springfield Golf Club president Paul Fox said the “next hurdle” for the club would be having its current 33-year lease renewed.
This month marks 75 years since the Springfield Golf Club was established
